[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12052-S12054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-229. A resolution adopted by the Board of Commissioners 
     of the County of Armstrong, Pennsylvania, urging Congress to 
     allow federal financial participation for medical benefits to 
     incarcerated individuals until convicted and sentenced; to 
     the Committee on Finance.
                                  ____

       POM-230. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of New Hampshire urging Congress to fully fund the 
     federal government's share of special education services in 
     public schools; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
     and Pensions.

                         Concurrent Resolution

       Whereas, since its enactment in 1975, the Individuals with 
     Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has helped millions of 
     children with special needs to receive a quality education 
     and to develop to their full capacities; and
       Whereas, IDEA has moved children with disabilities out of 
     institutions and into public school classrooms with their 
     peers; and
       Whereas, IDEA has helped break down stereotypes and 
     ignorance about people with disabilities, improving the 
     quality of life and economic opportunity for millions of 
     Americans; and
       Whereas, when the federal government enacted IDEA, it 
     promised to fund up to 40 percent of the average per pupil 
     expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, the federal government currently funds, on 
     average, less than 17 percent of the average per pupil 
     expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools in the 
     United States; and
       Whereas, local school districts and state government end up 
     bearing the largest share of the cost of special education 
     services; and
       Whereas, the federal government's failure to adequately 
     fulfill its responsibility to special needs children 
     undermines public support for special education and creates 
     hardship for disabled children and their families; and
       Whereas, the general court is currently challenged with the 
     responsibility of defining and funding an adequate education 
     for all children in this state; and
       Whereas, these legislative efforts are significantly 
     burdened and constrained by the costs incurred by the federal 
     government's failure to meet its full financial promise under 
     IDEA: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives 
     concurring, That the New Hampshire general court urges the 
     President and the Congress, prior to spending any surplus in 
     the federal budget, to fund 40 percent of the average per 
     pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools 
     in the United States as promised under IDEA to ensure that 
     all children, regardless of disability, receive a quality 
     education and are treated with the dignity and respect they 
     deserve; and
       That copies of this resolution be forwarded by the senate 
     clerk to the President of the United States, the Speaker of 
     the United States House of Representatives, the President of 
     the United States Senate, and the members of the New 
     Hampshire congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-231. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas urging Congress to restore full funding 
     to the Community Oriented Policing Services program; to the 
     Committee on the Judiciary.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 125

       Whereas, in 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law 
     Enforcement Act created the Community Oriented Policing 
     Services (COPS) program and for more than a decade the COPS 
     initiative has awarded more than $11 billion to over 13,000 
     agencies across the country; in the last six years, however, 
     the COPS program has suffered numerous cuts in funding, 
     threatening to reverse the improvements in law enforcement 
     credited to the program at a time when national security is a 
     concern at all levels of government; and
       Whereas, the recently filed Prosperous and Secure Neighbor 
     Alliance Act of 2007 would allocate $170 million to the 
     United Mexican States to professionalize the Mexican police 
     force for patrols along the U.S.-Mexico border, sending a 
     significant portion of the limited federal aid available to 
     Mexico, further jeopardizing the efforts of state and local 
     law enforcement agencies that depend on continued funding 
     through the COPS program; and
       Whereas, among the initiatives established under the COPS 
     program is the universal hiring program that resulted in the 
     hiring or redeployment of more than 118,000 law enforcement 
     officers in over 12,000 enforcement agencies nationwide and 
     training initiatives

[[Page S12053]]

     that have helped deliver to more than 340,000 officers 
     classes on topics ranging from ethics to terrorism; in 
     offering grants to implement innovative programs such as 
     these, COPS has played a significant role in reducing the 
     crime rate in many areas of the country; but recent cuts to 
     the program have negatively impacted recipient agencies 
     across the country and specifically along the Texas-Mexico 
     border where Texas law officers are consistently 
     understaffed, underpaid, and overworked; and
       Whereas, while the United States must rely on neighboring 
     nations to do their part to maintain border security, it is 
     equally crucial that programs such as COPS continue to 
     receive the funding necessary to provide adequate resources 
     to safeguard our borders and achieve a level of security 
     expected by the American people; unfortunately, sending funds 
     to Mexico and at the same time reducing federal assistance 
     locally substantially imperils this worthy goal: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 
     restore full funding to the Community Oriented Policing 
     Services program to assist Texas law enforcement in 
     patrolling the border before authorizing funding for the 
     police force of the United Mexican States; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the Congress of the United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-232. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana urging Congress to take such 
     actions as are necessary to research and promote Virtual 
     Command Technology to improve police, emergency medical 
     services, and fire protection; to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 41

       Whereas, Virtual Command Technology, the remote viewing of 
     a developing emergency which gives firefighters, EMS 
     professionals, and police officers a virtual presence at the 
     scene, will be of enormous significance to the future 
     security of people and property by giving fire, EMS, and 
     police departments unprecedented knowledge of any developing 
     emergency within seconds of its beginning; and
       Whereas, in an emergency, time of response and information 
     about the emergency are crucial for successful mitigation in 
     a fire, health, or security incident; and
       Whereas, the use of Virtual Command Technology enables 
     fire, EMS, and police responders to reach the emergency with 
     their critical incident planning and preparation in progress 
     as they gain complete situational awareness of the incident 
     and are able to put mitigation plans in place, then take 
     action immediately upon arrival at the scene; and
       Whereas, the advantage of Virtual Command Technology is 
     that first responders can understand a developing emergency 
     and react to it within seconds of the alert, as opposed to 
     conventional technology, which only allows for response upon 
     arrival at the scene; and
       Whereas, Virtual Command Technology integrates video with a 
     unique graphic display of alarm activity utilizing a database 
     of building floor plans overlaid with icons representing 
     sensors, detectors, and critical emergency building 
     information; and
       Whereas, in a fire emergency, smoke detector and 
     temperature sensor conditions are updated every second, with 
     the change in color showing the observer the nature of the 
     developing emergency and the actual temperature; and
       Whereas, in a security emergency, sensor conditions are 
     updated every second, with icons changing color to allow 
     monitoring personnel to locate perpetrators and track 
     movement throughout the facility; and
       Whereas, Virtual Command Technology provides crucial 
     information to commanders enabling them to understand the 
     emergency situation, conduct incident planning, and issue 
     instructions while they are en route to a location so that 
     upon arrival, all responders have their assignments and can 
     begin incident mitigation immediately; and
       Whereas, commercial, government, public, and private 
     entities are encouraged to consider Virtual Command 
     Technology for their security and fire protection; and
       Whereas, in this consideration, the three key elements of 
     Virtual Command Technology should be understood: (1) the 
     protected facility is networked to police, EMS, and fire 
     dispatch centers for immediate notification and visual 
     validation of an emergency; (2) the protected facility is 
     networked to a tactical monitoring station for situational 
     awareness of a developing security incident; and (3) 
     responding units can view the incident remotely utilizing a 
     mobile computer networked to the facility by a broadband 
     wireless connection; and
       Whereas, in October 2006 the effectiveness of Virtual 
     Command Technology was demonstrated in a series of 
     comparative tactical exercises that culminated with a joint 
     police and fire department demonstration by the Baton Rouge 
     police and fire departments; and
       Whereas, Baton Rouge Fire Chief Ed Smith and Baton Rouge 
     Police Chief Jeff LeDuff endorsed the technology for its 
     safety aspect for their officers and firefighters and its 
     ability to provide real-time information about an emergency 
     for successful mitigation; and
       Whereas, using Virtual Command Technology, Baton Rouge 
     police and fire departments experienced a significant 
     performance increase over current response procedures and 
     practices: Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 
     memorialize the United States Congress to take such actions 
     as are necessary to research and promote Virtual Command 
     Technology to improve police, EMS, and fire protection. Be it 
     further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 
     the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives of the Congress of the United States of 
     America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-233. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas expressing its gratitude for the 
     sacrifices made by veterans; to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 1

       Whereas, military veterans who have served their country 
     honorably and who were promised and have earned health care 
     and benefits from the federal government through the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs are now in need of these 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, federal discretionary funding is controlled by the 
     executive branch and the United States Congress through the 
     budget and appropriations process; and
       Whereas, direct funding provides the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs with a reliable, predictable, and consistent source 
     of funding to provide timely, efficient, and high-quality 
     health care for our veterans; and
       Whereas, currently almost 90 percent of federal health care 
     spending is direct rather than discretionary, and only the 
     funding for health care for active duty military, Native 
     Americans, and veterans is subject to the discretion of the 
     United States Congress; and
       Whereas, discretionary funding for health care lags behind 
     both medical inflation and the increased demand for services; 
     for example, the enrollment for veterans' health care 
     increased 134 percent between fiscal years 1996 and 2004 yet 
     funding increased only 34 percent during the same period when 
     adjusted to 1996 dollars; and
       Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest 
     integrated health care system in the United States and has 
     four critical health care missions: to provide health care to 
     veterans, to educate and train health care personnel, to 
     conduct medical research, and to serve as a backup to the 
     United States Department of Defense and support 
     communities in times of crisis; and
       Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs operates 157 
     hospitals, with at least one in each of the contiguous 
     states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia; and
       Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs operates more 
     than 850 ambulatory care and community-based outpatient 
     clinics, 132 nursing homes, 42 residential rehabilitation 
     treatment programs, and 88 home care programs; and
       Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs provides a wide 
     range of specialized services to meet the unique needs of 
     veterans, including spinal cord injury and dysfunction care 
     and rehabilitation, blind rehabilitation, traumatic brain 
     injury care, post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, 
     amputee care and prosthetics programs, mental health and 
     substance abuse programs, and long-term care programs; and
       Whereas, the Department of Veterans Affairs health care 
     system is severely underfunded, and had funding for the 
     department's medical programs been allowed to grow 
     proportionately as the system sought to admit newly eligible 
     veterans following the eligibility reform legislation in 
     1996, the current veterans' health care budget would be 
     approximately $10 billion more; and
       Whereas, in a spirit of bipartisan accommodation, members 
     of the United States Congress should collectively resolve the 
     problem of discretionary funding and jointly fashion an 
     acceptable formula for funding the medical programs of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby express its profound gratitude for the sacrifices made 
     by veterans, including those suffering from various medical 
     issues resulting from injuries that occurred while serving in 
     the United States Armed Forces at home or abroad; and, be it 
     further
       Resolved, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the 
     Congress of the United States to support legislation for 
     veterans' health care budget reform to allow assured funding; 
     and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the secretary of 
     veterans affairs, to the president of the United States, to 
     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president 
     of the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the 
     members of the Texas delegation to the Congress with the 
     request that this resolution be officially entered in the 
     Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the 
     United States of America.
                                  ____

       POM-234. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Texas urging Congress to authorize the 
     Department of

[[Page S12054]]

     Veterans Affairs to convey the Thomas T. Connally Medical 
     Center to the State of Texas; to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 46

       Whereas, the Thomas T. Connally Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Medical Center was a fundamental part of the City of 
     Marlin, Texas, for more than 50 years, and its recent closure 
     dealt a significant blow to the community and surrounding 
     area; and
       Whereas, the beginning in 1943, the citizens of Marlin 
     organized a campaign to secure their city as the location for 
     a proposed naval medical facility; initially, 31 individual 
     contributors donated $2,025 to finance their preliminary 
     effort, and two years later, the city raised an additional 
     $25,000 in small contributions from the local citizenry to 
     purchase 150 acres of land for a new naval hospital; and
       Whereas, although Marlin's selection as the site for the 
     hospital had been announced in 1944, and the order approving 
     construction of the new 500-bed facility was signed by 
     President Harry S. Truman on July 1, 1945, congressional 
     funding for the project was omitted from appropriations 
     legislation later that year; and
       Whereas, undeterred, the residents focused on attracting a 
     200-bed Veterans Administration general and surgical hospital 
     and collected additional funds for the purchase of eight 
     acres to donate for the facility; the city's efforts came to 
     fruition when the Marlin Veterans Administration Hospital 
     opened on November 1, 1950, with a staff of 14 physicians, 42 
     nurses, and two dentists; during its 50 years of operation, 
     the hospital provided hundreds of jobs to area residents, 
     continuing to reward the community's early faith and 
     determination; and
       Whereas, in 1992, the facility was renamed the Thomas T. 
     Connally Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center after 
     United States Senator Connally, who championed the city's 
     efforts to have the hospital located in Marlin; regrettably, 
     the medical center has since been closed by the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs, and there currently are no 
     plans for its reuse despite a recent extensive remodeling; 
     and
       Whereas, although the center's closure was a major economic 
     loss to the residents of Marlin, the city's spirit and 
     goodwill have yet to waver; in the aftermath of Hurricanes 
     Rita and Katrina, Marlin opened the Connally Veterans 
     Administration Medical Center to house medically fragile 
     evacuees from the affected areas, but, with that notable 
     exception, the complex has sat empty and will likely be razed 
     if a permanent use for the center cannot be found; and
       Whereas, fortunately, the Connally Veterans Administration 
     Medical Center facilities can be easily converted for a 
     number of uses by the state, presenting a practical and 
     beneficial use for the idle buildings; precedent for the 
     adaptation of a Veterans Administration facility to state use 
     was established in 2001 when the United States Congress 
     authorized the conveyance, without consideration, of all real 
     property and improvements associated with the Fort Lyon 
     Veterans Administration Medical Center in Las Animas, 
     Colorado, to the state of Colorado; and
       Whereas, elected officials from Falls County and the City 
     of Marlin, as well as many civic leaders, have expressed 
     their support for the reuse of the Connally Veterans 
     Administration Medical Center, and given the City of Marlin's 
     long history with the site and the fact that it would cost 
     more to destroy the center than to convey the facility to the 
     State of Texas, it is only fitting that the state take 
     advantage of this available resource: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, that the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States 
     to authorize the secretary of the United States Department of 
     Veterans Affairs to convey the Thomas T. Connally Department 
     of Veterans Affairs Medical Center located in Marlin, Texas, 
     to the State of Texas; and, be it further
       Resolved, that the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
     and the president of the Senate of the United States 
     Congress, to all members of the Texas delegation to the 
     Congress, and to the Secretary of the United States 
     Department of Veterans Affairs with the request that this 
     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record 
     as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of 
     America.

                          ____________________